The present invention relates to an exercise and tumbling mat of very low weight, in particular for school sports.
To avoid injuries in gymnastics with and without the use of equipment, gym mats, as is well known, are used. These commonly consist of a core of a thick layer of foam rubber or fiber which externally is surrounded with fabric or with an artificial leather covering. The mechanical and dynamic properties of these mats have commonly been independent of their particular position. This apparent advantage, however, of necessity entails various disadvantages.
First of all, in this connection, one disadvantage that should be mentioned is the considerable weight of such mats resulting from their two-sided symmetrical structure.
Since their use is essentially a question of their transportability by children, the relatively great weight has of necessity imposed size limitations of relatively small dimensions, so that in practical use from time to time several individual mats have had to be combined into a single unit. A known disadvantage of this has consisted in that the individual mats herein frequently tended to slip, often leading to injuries, in particular because of the great difference in level between the top edge of the mat and the surrounding floor.